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One of the biggest, most blighted roads in Portland is about to get scrubbed.
Graffiti painters and cleanup crews plan to blitz Interstate 84 between I-5 and I-205 starting at 11 pm on July 13 and stopping at noon the next day. The 5-mile stretch through Sullivan’s Gulch will be closed to highway and MAX traffic for those 13 hours. TriMet plans to run shuttle buses to stations closed by the cleanup.
The stretch of I-84 through Sullivan’s Gulch, named for an early farmer in the area, is the biggest transportation corridor on the eastside and one of the first things people see when approaching Portland. It’s a coveted target for taggers because so many motorists and MAX riders see their work on bridges, signs and barriers. The hillsides are littered with garbage from homeless camps and refuse shed by trucks and cars.
Cleaning the area is especially tough, too, because it is a tangle of roads, rails and trails governed by different entities, each of them responsible for maintenance. The Oregon Department of Transportation handles the highway, TriMet takes care of the MAX tracks, and the Union Pacific Railroad minds the freight tracks.
They are teaming with Multnomah County, the Metro regional government, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation to field about 100 workers for the flash cleanup.
“This is a rare opportunity to have safe access to perform cleanup work in difficult areas, and we plan to take full advantage,” ODOT manager Rian Windsheimer said.
After more than a year away because of budget woes, ODOT graffiti cleanup contractors have been back on the job lately, covering graffiti in gray paint. The work restarted after Gov. Tina Kotek prodded the Legislature to appropriate $20 million for cleanup jobs just in ODOT Region 1 (the tri-county area and Hood River County).
Among the crews in the gulch later this month will be several from Portland Graffiti Removal, the company that got $4 million, all of the money allocated for graffiti.
“It’s a shame that people are out there defacing other people’s property and we have to use taxpayers’ money to clean it up,” says Robert Barrie, the company’s owner. “But it needs to be done to try to keep the city clean and beautiful like we all remember when we grew up here.”
As for traffic headaches during the closure, the Morrison Bridge and North Weidler Street ramps to northbound I-5 will remain open, ODOT said. All on-ramps leading to I-84 in the section will be closed. Drivers should plan to use I-205 or local roads. MAX trains may be closed past noon because TriMet must “reenergize” the system.
Bridges over I-84 will be closed for graffiti buffing, too, one by one. Reaching tags on bridges requires “snooper trucks” with baskets on articulating booms. ODOT must bring in lighting, too, because much of the work will be done at night.
Drivers and riders can sign up for updates at trimet.org/emailupdates.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience during this 12-hour closure,” Windsheimer said.